Who are you and what did you do with Jess?
by Luke Rules
Summary: Fan Fic Challenge for "Swan Song" eppy - What if things went differently?
1. Default Chapter

TITLE: "Who Are You and What Have You Done With Jess?" NAME -Sandra aka Lukerules  
  
E-MAIL -baumann1@yahoo.com  
  
SPOILERS - Up to and including at least half of "Swan Song"  
  
SUMMARY - Fan fic challenge posed by Brooke: addition to the eppy "Swan Song": Rory and Jess don't have an argument; Jess drives Rory home; Rated R or higher; they can't have sex, but she goes further than she ever has; takes place at the Gilmore home; dinner with Emily can go well or not; Jess may or may not have a black eye; Rory tells Lorelai what they did  
  
RATING - R  
  
CONTENT -For mature adults. Dinner with Emily WILL go well, Jess does not have a black eye, and his bad mood over the traffic disseminates quickly  
  
PAIRING OR CHARACTER - R/J  
  
DISCLAIMER -I don't own the characters (pout) -the WB, Amy Sherman- Palladino, everyone else does.  
  
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Chapter One (doorbell announces Jess's arrival)  
  
The door opens, revealing Jess, in a nice navy blue shirt and chinos.  
  
"Jess!" Rory squeals in surprise.  
  
"Yup, that would be me," he remarks, looking embarrassed.  
  
"Emily Gilmore, Jess Mariano," Rory introduces them. They shake hands, Emily looks pleased.  
  
"Thank you for inviting me," Jess says as he shakes her hand.  
  
"My pleasure. Well, come in, come in, I heard that the traffic was just awful on the way here, is that right, Jess?" Emily asked as they entered the house.  
  
"Yes, ma'am. It was pretty bad," he said simply.  
  
Rory linked his arm and whispered to him, "What's with the duds?"  
  
Jess leans over to return the whisper, "What? Don't like your guys all 'G- Q'd' up?"  
  
"It's just..not you," Rory answered shyly.  
  
"Well, I don't think the real me would make much of an impression on your grandmother, so I've opted to be someone else tonight," he smirked.  
  
"Tess?" Rory quipped back with a raised eyebrow.  
  
"Exactly," he smirked in return.  
  
They entered the dining room and took their seats, Jess sitting in Lorelai's usual spot.  
  
"What would you like to drink, Jess, Rory?" Rory cringed and thought, **please don't ask for a beer!**  
  
"A soda would be fine," Jess answered. Rory mirrored his response.  
  
"So, Jess, what are your interests?" Emily asks as they begin their meal.  
  
"Well, other than your grand-daughter, I'm very interested in literature and music," Jess replied seriously.  
  
"Really, literature! How nice. Have you seen Rory's book collection? It's quite impressive. Oh, Rory, you MUST show Jess your grandfather's study!" Emily said excitedly.  
  
"Oh, yes, I will," Rory answered, shooting a look at Jess which said **who are you, and what have you done with my boyfriend?** Jess smirked back, wiggling his eyebrows.  
  
"Who is your favorite writer, Jess?" Emily queried.  
  
"Hemingway. I think I've read everything he's ever written," Jess answered.  
  
"I believe Richard has a few first editions of his work in his study, they are quite remarkable. I do wish that he were here, Richard is also quite fond of Hemingway, I'm sure you would have a wonderful conversation about his work." Rory sat there, stunned by how well they were getting along. She wished that her mother was here to see it.  
  
"I think Rory is the only person I know who doesn't like Hemingway," Jess reached over to Rory and tapped her leg with his foot.  
  
"Hey, I'm not the ONLY person!" Rory laughed, glad to finally be included in the conversation. Emily laughed, amused at their banter.  
  
"I can see why Rory is so fond of you, Jess," Emily quipped and Rory and Jess exchanged looks.  
  
"Have you decided on a college and a profession, Jess?" Emily asked. Rory cringed, afraid of the answer. Her mind was screaming, **please don't say no college, just working at Walmart sounds good**, since that will be the END of this dinner!  
  
"Well, I've been looking into the creative writing degree programs at both Umass as well as Southern Connecticut State. I guess my decision will depend on whether Rory chooses Harvard or Yale, since I'd like to go to school near her if possible. I'd like to become a writer," Jess explained, avoiding Rory's shocked and widened eyes. He looked serious. Rory wasn't sure whether he was just making that stuff up, or was he really thinking about college? This was definitely a nice revelation about Jess if it's true.  
  
"Um, Grandma, would you mind if Jess and I spoke privately in the study for a moment?" Rory asked. Jess still wouldn't meet her eyes.  
  
"Oh, of course, sure, I'll have Beatrice clear and bring in dessert," Emily stated.  
  
Rory and Jess head into the study and Rory shuts the door. Jess walks over to the books and starts looking them over with his hands in his pockets.  
  
"Jess!" Rory shouts, causing Jess to spin around.  
  
"What?" he asked, the corners of his mouth turning upward slightly.  
  
"Is this true? Or are you making all of this up??" Rory demanded. Her face was flushed.  
  
"Ooo, serious face! Is what true? Oh, you mean the college thing? Well, yeah, I've been kinda waiting for you to figure out where you're going, then I was going to surprise you. But this seemed like a good time to tell you." Jess said seriously.  
  
"Oh my god! This is so amazing! You really want to be with me that much? This is so great!" she said, oozing enthusiasm, throwing her arms around his neck for a hug.  
  
Jess put his arms around her waist. "Of course I want to be with you, do you think I'd go through all the shit that I did for a year to get you, then just let you run off to school and leave me?" he smiled and kissed her softly.  
  
"You never cease to amaze me, Jess Mariano," she stated, kissing him again. "I can't believe how great you're getting along with her, my mother would have a stroke if she saw how nice you are to her and how much she likes you," Rory added.  
  
"I think we'd better get back. I'm sure you're dying for dessert," Jess teased as they left the study.  
  
"I'm sure once your grandmother reports back to Lorelai, she's going to ask you if you brought someone else, not me!" he teased back.  
  
They walked back into the dining room holding hands and had their dessert. Rory couldn't wipe the smile off her face.  
  
As they were leaving, Emily beamed at them. "Well, Rory, please feel free to bring your young man with you whenever you like. Jess, it was very nice to meet you. I hope you can some back soon to meet Richard." Much to Rory's surprise, Jess blushed.  
  
"Thank you for tonight," he said.  
  
"Thank you so much, grandma," Rory gushed and hugged Emily before leaving.  
  
"Damn, you should win an academy award for that performance in there," Rory said squeezing Jess's hand as they walked out to his car.  
  
"Oh, yeah?" he smiled back and kissed her softly. "How about my OTHER performances?"  
  
Rory blushed. "I don't think they give awards for that kind of stuff."  
  
"Huh!" he snorted.  
  
"But they should! And if they did, I'm sure you'd get one," she teased.  
  
Jess opened the car door for Rory. "Ma'am? Your chariot awaits," he said gallantly.  
  
"Why thank you, kind sir," Rory mimicked back.  
  
As they pulled out of the driveway, Rory scooted over to sit right along side of Jess. He put his arm around her shoulders and she nuzzled up to him, kissing his cheek.  
  
"Thanks for tonight," Rory said sweetly.  
  
"The night's not over yet," Jess said with a smirk. Rory blushed.  
  
**end of chapter one**  
  
More to come soon.please R/R! 


	2. Chapter 2

Who are you and what did you do with Jess?  
  
Chapter 2  
  
They pulled into the Gilmore driveway. Rory didn't realize that the situation she was putting herself into was exactly the one her mother had warned her about, because she was so elated about how well the dinner went and the talk about college.  
  
"So, are you coming in, I hope?" Rory asked tentatively.  
  
"Sure, sounds good," Jess answered as they got out of the car and headed into the house. Jess carried Rory's book bag and she had her uniform from school.  
  
"Um, I'm going to put this stuff in my room," she motioned to the clothes and took the bag from him. She set the book bag down on her desk and draped her uniform over the chair. She then felt Jess's presence in the room. When she turned around, he was right in front of her.  
  
"God! Don't do that! You scared me to death!" Rory shrieked.  
  
"Geesh, it's not like you didn't know I was in the house, Rory," Jess smirked.  
  
"Yeah, but." Rory didn't have time to finish her sentence before Jess was kissing her. They moved over to her bed and both partially lay down on it. Rory broke away to catch her breath. "Jess.."  
  
"I know, I know, you set the limits," Jess knew what was coming. "But your mom is in New York and Luke is staying over Nicole's, so we can be as comfortable as we want to be," Jess said confidently.  
  
"Good," Rory said defiantly, running her hand over his chest. He was right, there wasn't any time pressure, so she shouldn't be so timid. She still didn't know what she wanted, how far she was ready to go. And being alone like this, if things got out of hand, geesh, anything or EVERYTHING could happen. She felt all tingly when she was with him. This scared her, she didn't trust her own body around Jess, it seemed to get a mind of its own. She thought that her mom would think that statement was funny, until she realized that NO, her mom would NOT think that her body having its own mind would be very funny.  
  
"So, which college do you really WANT to go to, Umass or So Conn?" she asked, trying to change the subject and get more information about this newfound college news.  
  
"So Conn has a better creative writing program," Jess said between kisses as he kissed along her neck. He had already figured out that trying to get a Gilmore to stop talking was a waste of time, even when they were kissing, so he might as well go along with it.  
  
Rory was so filled with happiness. Jess was really turning his life around, and was doing whatever it would take to be with her. He was so great, she felt like the luckiest person in the world. And his kisses felt so good, everything felt so right.  
  
They continued kissing, getting more and more passionate. Rory was filled with her strong feelings for Jess. Her mind was reeling. She let her guard down and impulsively ran her hand along his chest and downward until it rested on his crotch. Jess immediately jumped at the motion, surprised by her audacity. "Rory!"  
  
"Hmm?" she responded, giving his a sly smile. "I just want to show my appreciation for all you did for me tonight," she whispered, giving him staccato kisses along his neck.  
  
"But Rory," he sighed. "I'm not doing any of this just to get you to do things that you might not be ready for," he said reluctantly taking her hand off his now aroused area. He wanted her to be ready because SHE is ready, not to do him a 'favor'.  
  
"But." she pleaded.  
  
"Look, I already told you, I think we should take it slow. I know that's probably the last thing you think you'd ever hear from me, but Rory.. You know I'm not a virgin. And believe me, you don't want to lose your virginity the way I did. It should be special. And momentous. With music and candles and flowers and all that sappy crap they have in those movies.."  
  
"Stop, Jess, I get it," Rory interrupted, looking irritated by throwing her arms up in defeat. She was surprised that he was the one to slow things down, she had a little nagging fear deep down that he would get bored with her if she didn't start going further with him. And then she had touched him, aroused him - at least she's pretty sure she did, but he had pushed her away. Ouch! Did that mean he didn't want her? She started to feel very self-conscious and pulled away. Jess wasn't sure why she was acting so strange, so he drew her back into a hug. That usually calmed her down when she was starting to rant.  
  
"Rory, come on, let's get comfortable and we can just read together for a while, okay?" he said tenderly. Rory got up and pulled a t-shirt and sweatpants out of her dresser for both herself and for him. She went into the bathroom to change and Jess changed in her room.  
  
When Rory came back in, Jess was sitting propped up by pillows but under the comforter on the bed reading Rory's copy of "xx". He lifted the comforter up and patted the spot next to him. She smiled and she grabbed a book out of her book bag and got under the covers with Jess. He put his arm around her, enveloping her in the comforter as she snuggled into him, resting her head on his chest.  
  
"Mmm," she commented and he stopped reading long enough to kiss her hair and give her a squeeze with the arm he had around her. She looked up at him. "Jess?"  
  
"Hmm?" he asked, almost like a hum into her hair.  
  
"Will you sleep with me tonight? Oh god! No! I mean, not SLEEP sleep, but spend the night here with me? I mean." she asked, quickly clarifying her request. Jess chucked at her restatement and kissed her to quiet her.  
  
"Rory, yes, I want to stay the night here with you, no funny business, I get it," he chuckled. "I've got to open the diner tomorrow for Luke, so I have to leave really early, so you have to promise not to freak out if you wake up and I'm not here, it just means I went to work and didn't want to wake you, okay?" he reassured her.  
  
"Okay," she kissed him softly. "So, sleep now or more reading?" she asked playfully.  
  
"Let me just finish this chapter," he said with a wink. "Then we can go to bed." He smiled inwardly at that comment. Never in a million years did he think he would be saying that to Rory.  
  
Rory got up and went into the bathroom to wash her face and ready herself for bed. She brushed her hair and took off her bra, but kept her t-shirt and sweatpants on. She looked at herself in the mirror, wondering if she would be a different person the next time she saw her reflection. She studied herself for a moment, then shook off the thought. **That's just crazy, I'll still be the same person, no matter what** she thought to herself. When she came out, Jess did the same. "Jess, I put a new toothbrush out for you," she commented as they passed each other.  
  
Jess turned the living room and kitchen lights out. When he reentered her room, she was snuggled up in bed, the only light lit was the bedside lamp.  
  
"Uh, Rory?" Jess asked meekly.  
  
"Huh?" she opened her eyes.  
  
"I, um, sleep in my boxers, is that alright?" his eyes bored into hers. When he looked at her like that, he knew that she couldn't say know to him. It was the same when she gave her puppy dog eyes and pout to Jess - he just couldn't resist her when she did that.  
  
"Oh, well, um, sure, that's okay with me," she said, although she didn't sound like she meant it.  
  
He took off his watch and placed it on the nightstand, then pulled off his t-shirt, aware that Rory was watching with wide-eyes. She couldn't help it, she saw that his body was so beautiful. Jess knew she'd be embarrassed if he knew she was studying him, but couldn't help but smile. He turned to face her before unlatching his belt and unzipping his jeans. She watched him and he slowly pulled them down, exposing his sinewy legs. She drank in every inch of him, blushing feverishly, but still staring. He smirked which caused her to look away briefly as he climbed into the bed with her. He wrapped his arms around her and smoothed her hair behind her ear. "Goodnight, Rory," he said gently and kissed her sweetly.  
  
"Goodnight, Jess," she answered and sighed as he let go of his embrace and rolled over to shut off the light. He was really going to go to sleep! Rory had already decided that she was not going to be able to sleep with him right there.  
  
Rory woke up and peeked over Jess to see that it was 2:30 am. She hesitated, looking at his peaceful face as he slept. He is so beautiful, she thought. She ran her fingertip lightly over his cheek and he stirred with a little moan. She ran her hand across his back very lightly and he let out another little moan, but still did not awaken. Touching Jess lit her body on fire. She desperately wanted him to wake up, she wanted to kiss him, to touch him. She wanted HIM to touch her. It was driving her crazy. **How can he sleep when we're like this?** she screamed to herself. She almost had to laugh, she remembered reading in Lane's secret issue of Cosmo that some women like to have sex in the early hours of the morning and aren't as frisky at night when most men are. **Maybe that's why I never had any interest in having sex with Dean, since we would never have done anything like this?** crossed her mind. **No, that's not possible**, she disagreed with herself. She knew that it was because it was Jess, not the hour of the day. **Argh, why am I having this argument with myself at this hour when I should be sleeping?** she thought. She was practically breaking out into a sweat. "Ugh," she said quietly, and pulled her shirt off. **That'll give him a nice surprise when he wakes up, maybe he won't leave** she thought mischievously. She laid back down, covering herself in the covers and rolled over so her back was facing Jess's back and drifted off to sleep.  
  
Jess woke up at 5:00 am, first cursing the fact that Luke had him on this too-damn-early-wakeup schedule, then startled because he wasn't sure where he was. He felt a warm body next to him and spotted Coloniel Clucker at the end of the bed and suddenly realized where he was and what had happened last night. He rolled over to put an arm around Rory and met a bare back. **When did she do THAT?** he thought to himself. **Damn, this girl is going to break my resolve** he smirked. He ran his hand over the smooth skin of her back, brushing aside her hair and kissed her neck gently. She stirred and rolled over onto her back, her eyes opening sleepily. She reached her hands around his neck. "Jess," she said in a whisper.  
  
"You're beautiful," he said back, kissing her lips. She let out a soft moan, still half-asleep. Jess was in a quandary. **Why would she do this if she didn't want me to touch them? She's half asleep, this would be taking advantage of her. I don't want her to suddenly wake up and freak out.** "Rory," Jess said a little louder, running his index finger along her cheek. Her eyes focused a little more and she smiled.  
  
"I want you, Jess," she stated simply. His eyes searched hers to be sure. She ran her hand across his chest, grazing his nipple with her thumb, sending electric shocks all through him. He leaned in for a deep kiss as her hands went around his neck and played with his hair. He kissed along her neck and the hollow of her shoulder and she fell back in the pillow arching her back to him. His hand gently grazed her breast and teased her now-hard nipple. She let out another moan at the action, somewhat startling Jess. He moved his fingers to the other breast and kissed down until he took her nipple in his lips gently. She groaned even louder. **I would have never thought that she would be a loud lover** Jess thought to himself. He let his tongue swirl around her nipple and then the other as she writhed in delight, running her hands through his hair and moaning. He came back up to her lips and she kissed him hard, obviously caught up in the moment. When Jess pulled away, she pouted and reached out for him.  
  
"Rory, we'd better stop. I've got to get to the diner, and listen, if we don't stop here I don't think I'll be able to stop," Jess said defeatedly. Rory glanced over and saw his jockey shorts and could see what he meant. He swung his legs over the bedside and sat up. Rory sat up behind him with her arms around him, teasing his nipples. "Rory, I mean it," he said and she giggled. She ran her hands down his flat stomach and her pinky grazed the tip of his erection. "Rory, I mean it," he said standing up. She gave him a pouty face and held her arms out. Jess snorted and laughed out load. "You're impossible, Gilmore," he shook his head and reached for his pants on the floor, pulling them back on.  
  
"And you're a tease, Mariano," she said, finding her t-shirt and slipping it back over her head. Jess shot her a look with one raised eyebrow and went into the bathroom. He looked at himself in the mirror and splashed some water on his face. **Oh, yeah, right, I'M the tease!** he thought to himself. He tried to do something with his hair but decided he'd just wait and take a shower when he got back to the diner.  
  
Jess came out of the bathroom and found Rory making coffee in the kitchen. "Can you stay for coffee?" she asked, shuffling over to him in her oversized bathrobe.  
  
"Sorry, I've got to get to the diner," he said, putting his arms around his waist. She put her arms around his neck. "Why don't you come by for breakfast later, though," he said giving her a long kiss.  
  
"Okay," she said back giving him another kiss. "Keep thinking what you're thinking," she winked.  
  
"I don't have a choice," he bantered back, giving her a quick kiss on the lips then he went out the back door.  
  
Rory sighed. **Oh god, what a night. I have to tell someone! Lane! Well, it's too early, but I'll have to fill her in.**  
  
Rory knew what she had to do next. Talk to her mom. Tell her what happened. And ask about birth control.  
  
To be continued..what will Lorelai's reaction be? 


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Wow, I thought that this would be the last chapter, but then my fingers just seem to fly through the pages here! So this will be 3 of 4. Stay tuned (and please review!)  
  
Who are you and what did you do with Jess?  
  
Chapter 3  
  
Rory drank her coffee sitting at her desk with a textbook in front of her. She couldn't seem to focus - her eyes kept getting drawn back to her unmade bed, and the events of the previous night and early morning. She sighed and smiled. **God, I love him** she thought then caught herself. "Oh my god!" she screamed to no one in particular, standing up and knocking her chair over.  
  
"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god," she squealed, picking up clothes and rushing into the bathroom to take a shower. She quickly showered and dressed and rushed out the door, barely having time to put her coat on.  
  
She ran up to the Kim residence and rang the bell. Lane's mother answered.  
  
"It's very early, why are you here so very early?" Mrs. Kim announced loudly.  
  
"Oh, I need to talk to Lane if that's okay, Mrs. Kim, it's kind of important," Rory said out of breath.  
  
"You in trouble?" Mrs. Kim asked, squinting her eyes at Rory.  
  
"Oh no, no, no, just some good news I need to share," she said pleadingly.  
  
"Okay, five minutes," Mrs. Kim allowed her into the house. Rory ran up the stairs to Lane's room and knocked loudly. Lane opened it and Rory rushed her back into her room and closed the door.  
  
"I love Jess!" Rory announced excitedly.  
  
"What?" Lane asked in confusion.  
  
"Oh my god, I was sitting there with my coffee, and thinking of what happened when we woke up together this morning, and .." Rory was pacing and flailing her arms wildly, ranting.  
  
"What?!" Lane asked again excitedly, interrupting the rant. "Wait, you slept together?! Does Lorelai know????"  
  
"No! No, I mean yes, I mean, we slept together as in sleeping, not as in, you know, SLEPT, and no, my mom is in New York with Alex" Rory tried to explain.  
  
"So you slept in the same bed and then he told you he loves you?" Lane asked clasping her hands together in excitement.  
  
"No, he didn't actually say it, but you should have seen him last night at my grandmother's. He was so polite and friendly to her. He really made a great impression. And he told her that he's already applied to both Uconn and So Conn State to study creative writing and will go to whichever one is closest to the school that I pick!"  
  
"Wait, are you sure he was Jess?" Lane asked. "I mean did you ever see 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers'? Should we go look for pods? Because that does NOT sound like the Jess we know."  
  
"I know, I know, but he did it for me, he was so wonderful, then we came home and my mom is in New York and Luke was staying over Nicole's, and we just decided to stay together, and although we didn't do IT, it was so nice, just being in his arms, and waking up with him, except for the morning breath thing, but I'm not sure you can really get around that." Rory started to rant again.  
  
"Wow! So go back to the 'I love Jess' part"  
  
"Well, I don't know. I was just sitting there thinking about all the things that have happened, and I just thought, 'God, I love that guy' and then I freaked! I mean, I never just had that thought with Dean, not like, okay, that's how I feel now. So what do I do about it? Should I tell him?"  
  
"Ooh, I don't know if you should tell him.I mean, what if he isn't ready for that? What if he freaks out and breaks up with you? I don't know if Jess is prepared." Lane said cautiously. Rory sulked a little.  
  
"Yeah, you may be right. I guess I'll wait until he says it," Rory said dejectedly, wondering how long it would be until that happened, IF it would EVER happen.  
  
"Hey, don't get upset, he'll say it when he's ready, he will, SOON," Lane tried to reassure her, but knew that her wheels were spinning and she'd be thinking about it for a while.  
  
"So what are you going to tell your mom?" Lane asked trying to change the subject (a little).  
  
"I'm not sure, but I have to tell her he spent the night, I mean, I'm sure half of Stars Hollow was watching the house to see when he dropped me off and when he got home, you know how nosey everybody is around here," Rory stated and Lane nodded her agreement.  
  
"Time's up!" Mrs. Kim yelled up the stairs. Both Lane and Rory jumped.  
  
"Gotta go! Thanks for letting me rant!" Rory said, giving Lane a quick hug and ran down the stairs and out the door.  
  
Rory walked across the street, thinking of the things that Lane had said. Before she even realized it, she was at the door to Luke's. She came in and sat at the counter. Jess brought over a mug and filled it. "Good morning, sunshine!" he said a little more enthusiastically than usual, leaning across the counter for a kiss. Most of the townspeople in the diner turned and looked at him when he said it.  
  
"Hey," she answered, still lost in thought.  
  
"So, do you know what you want?" Jess asked, pulling out his order book.  
  
"Huh? What I want?" Rory stammered, not thinking about breakfast, but about him, about his body, about his love and affection.  
  
"You know, breakfast? Pancakes? French toast?" Jess said with a laugh.  
  
"Oh, I'll just have a muffin and a coffee to go, I've got a lot of studying to do before my mom gets home, so I need to go," she stammered.  
  
"Okey dokey," Jess said with a puzzled look, putting a muffin in a bag and filling up a to-go container.  
  
Luke said out of breath as he rushed into the diner from the apartment, still buttoning his flannel shirt. "Oh, hey Rory, how's it going?"  
  
"It's going just fine, Uncle Luke!" Jess said with a smile as he took the coffee pot and went out to do refills. He hesitated briefly to swat Luke on the arm in a 'hey-pal' sort of way.  
  
"What's wrong with him?" Luke asked Rory.  
  
"Um, beats me, well, gotta go," Rory said in a rush, trying not to blush too deeply for Luke to notice. "Bye Jess!" she said as she ran out the door with her muffin and coffee.  
  
He looked up from the cup he was pouring. "Bye." He wondered why she was acting to strange. In the back of his mind, he wondered if she was regretting what had happened this morning, maybe that's why she's so skittish.  
  
"What's wrong with Rory?" Luke asked as Jess came back around the counter.  
  
"Beats me," Jess shrugged.  
  
"Come on," Luke growled, dragging Jess into the storeroom and closing the door.  
  
"Spill it, what did you do to her?" Luke was pissed.  
  
"Nothing! Geesh, why would you think that her mood is my fault?" Jess threw his hands up in disgust.  
  
"Jess." Luke growled.  
  
"Look, we spent the night together last night - but NOTHING happened," Jess emphasized the last two words.  
  
"What?! Jess! Geez, you can't be doing this! Lorelai is going to freak out again, and it'll be all MY FAULT!" Luke threw his hands up too.  
  
"Look, can we just drop this? I don't like the idea of discussing my sex life with you." Jess said irritated.  
  
Luke narrowed his eyes. "I don't want to HEAR you talking about having a sex life with Rory!"  
  
"Geez, Luke, I'm not going to hurt her. I love her too much to do anything that she isn't ready for, so let's just drop it, okay?" Jess said with finality.  
  
"What? What did you say? Did you say that you love her? Have you told her that?" Luke said in complete surprise.  
  
"Huh? Oh.well, no, I haven't said that yet, I mean, it's not something you just blurt out, like 'hey, nice weather we're having, oh by the way I love you'," Jess stammered.  
  
Luke crossed his arms. "Jess, listen, if you wait until the PERFECT time to tell her, you might miss the chance to ever do it, believe me."  
  
"Like you did with Lorelai?" Jess raised an eyebrow.  
  
Luke sighed. "Yeah, like me, I had a couple chances and never did it.."  
  
"You still can, you know, you should tell her how you feel about her," Jess said sympathetically.  
  
Luke cleared his throat. "Look, we're not here to talk about my problems, you need to talk to Rory, let her know how you feel."  
  
"Okay, I'll go over after my shift is over and talk to her about it," Jess said, giving in.  
  
"Good. Let's get back to work," Luke said and they left the storeroom.  
Meanwhile, Rory spent most of the morning in her room, doing homework. She did her best to keep her mind on the subject at hand, but Jess kept creeping back. She eventually moved all of her books into the living room, since she couldn't concentrate with the bed right in front of her.  
  
"Lucy, I'm home! And you got some 'splaining to do!" Lorelai roared as she came in the door.  
  
"Huh?" Rory asked, wondering if Babette had seen Jess leave this morning and had already cornered Lorelai to tell her.  
  
"Oh nothing, I just need coffee, and you know how the 'I Love Lucy' references just pop out of my mouth when I need coffee," she said dropping all of her luggage.  
  
"Where's Alex?" Rory asked, peeking up from behind  
  
"He had to go pick up his kids for the week, so he had to leave right away. So, how about that coffee? Luke's?" she said flopping down on the couch next to Rory, causing half of her books to fly off the couch. "Oops," she said trying to pick the books up in some order.  
  
"Hey mom, can we, um, talk first?" Rory asked tentatively.  
  
"Sure hun, what about?" Lorelai asked, obviously not thinking about her curt warning to Rory the day before.  
  
"Well, I wanted to tell you about last night." she started.  
  
"Oh!!! The dinner with Emily! Oh my god, how did it go? Was Jess a jerk? Was Emily a witch? Oh! Tell me, tell me everything!" she squealed while bouncing up and down on the couch, spilling even more books.  
  
"First, you need to calm down! Second, Jess was great. He got there late, but it was because of traffic. And he was all dressed up nice, and he was very polite to grandma, and I found out that he's applied to two colleges to be near me, and he wants to take creative writing and become a writer and. he was just so wonderful and." she hesitated and started to cry a little.  
  
"What's wrong? Oh my god, did he hurt you? Did he start a fight or something? I'll kill him!" Lorelai started to freak out.  
  
"No!!! Nothing like that!! He was perfect. Grandma loved him, she even asked him to come back when Grandpa is back in town," she tried to calm down.  
  
"So what's the problem, sweets? It sounds like things are going great!" Lorelai was confused.  
  
Rory cleared her throat. "Well, things are going really, really great. I mean, really great. And I know you're going to be mad.but he slept over last night."  
  
"What?!! Rory! I'm so disappointed in you! I told you this would happen!" she stood up flailing her arms.  
  
"Mom! Nothing happened! I mean, not nothing, but not THAT," Rory pleaded.  
  
"Okay, so THAT didn't happen. What DID happen?" Lorelai sat down and put her hands in her face. Rory sat there, wringing her hands in her lap.  
  
"Well.we slept in my bed together. But I had my pajamas on and he had his boxers on. Well, I took my top off, but it wasn't his idea for me to do that, he was sleeping when I did that, oh geez, that really makes me sound like a slut, doesn't it? Oh geez, I was the one who wanted to go further and he said no, and he stopped me, he said that I was moving too fast and that my first time should be special because it wasn't special when he did it for the first time and he regrets it, and then he said something about there should be flowers and candles and music."  
  
"Okay, okay, take a breath, sweets," Lorelai said, her eyes sympathetic to Rory's rant.  
  
Rory caught her breath. ".And then this morning, he woke up and saw that I wasn't wearing my top and."  
  
"Okay, stop there." Lorelai interrupted holding out her hand in a 'stop' motion. "I can figure out what happened. But all other clothing stayed on, right?"  
  
"Yes. Second base stuff only," Rory said with a nod.  
  
"Okay, then. I guess we need to talk about the future. Things that will eventually happen. I'll make an appointment for the doctor and we'll get you on.birth control," Lorelai stammered on those last two words. "Oh, my baby, going on birth control, agh!" she threw her hands up.  
  
"Um, yeah, I guess that would be a good idea," Rory paused, not sure if she should say it or not. "Mom, I love Jess,"  
  
"You love him. Oh. Hmmm. And he loves you?" Lorelai was also trying to calm down, but the subject matter wasn't helping.  
  
"Well, he hasn't said so, but I'm pretty sure he feels that way, I don't know, I've been so confused since this morning, and I talked to Lane and she said that I shouldn't say it first because he might not want to hear it, then I saw him at the diner and I could barely say a word to him, and then LUKE! I saw Luke and totally freaked and ran out of there." Rory put her face in her hands. "God, why I do I keep screwing everything up?" she moaned, fighting back tears.  
  
Lorelai smoothed her hair. "Hey, you haven't screwed up anything. Talk to him later. And if it feels right, say it, don't worry that he hasn't said it first, just say it. And if he doesn't want to hear it, well then, that's his loss. You might be surprised. I would hate to see you not say it and then regret having the chance to," Lorelai said thoughtfully.  
  
Rory studied her mother. "Is there someone you wished to you said it to, but didn't?"  
  
"Well.naw! Forget it, it'll never happen," she said quietly.  
  
"Is it Luke?" Rory asked quietly back.  
  
"Yeah," Lorelai stated and got up to bring her luggage up the stairs to her room. Rory heard her close her bedroom door gently and flop on the bed. Rory just sighed. She would not let this go. She had to tell him.  
Up next: Rory and Jess have something to say to each other.or do they chicken out? 


	4. Chapter 4

Who are you and what did you do with Jess?  
  
Chapter 4  
  
Rory and Lorelai were both sitting on the couch in the living room watching television around 2:30 that afternoon when the doorbell rang. They looked at each other with wide eyes.  
  
"Mailman?" Lorelai asked.  
  
"No. Don't they always ring twice?" Rory answered.  
  
"Pizza?" she asked.  
  
"Not unless Pete is telepathic - we didn't order pizza," Rory answered.  
  
"Mass murderer?" she mused.  
  
"Then YOU need to answer the door!" Rory barked.  
  
"Boyfriend?" Lorelai teased. She never got tired of the banter.  
  
"Looks that way," Rory said getting up to finally answer the door.  
  
"Hey," Jess said, hands stuffed in his pockets.  
  
"Hey," Rory answered, giving him a quick kiss.  
  
"So do you have some time?" Jess asked, a little meekly. Rory studied him.  
  
"Um, sure, do you want to come in?"  
  
"Sure," Jess said looking around.  
  
"Oh, hey Jess! Wow, Rory, look at the time, I am totally late for that appointment!" Lorelai looked at her wrist even though she wasn't wearing a watch.  
  
"What appointment?" Rory asked.  
  
"You know, the one where I have to leave the house for a hour for!" she remarked, giving Rory a wink as she walked by. "So I'll see you in about an hour, bye!" Lorelai said, grabbing her keys, purse and jacket and walking out the door. They heard the Jeep start up and head out of the driveway.  
  
"So," Rory said quietly. "Let's sit," she motioned to the couch.  
  
"Sit, yeah," Jess said as they awkwardly sat down together. Jess turned towards Rory and slipped his arms around her waist.  
  
"So, you know what I've been thinking about all day?" Jess smirked.  
  
"Well, I've got a pretty good idea," Rory answered, putting her arms around his neck.  
  
"Oh yeah?" he kissed her softly.  
  
"Yeah," she replied softly, kissing him.  
  
"I bet you don't," he teased.  
  
"I bet I do," she teased back.  
  
"I'm pretty sure you don't," he teased back.  
  
"Jess!" she wasn't sure how to answer that.  
  
"Well." he hesitated, tracing the outline of her face with his index finger. "I've been thinking about how lucky I am to be with you, that you're the kindest person I've ever met, we share so many of the same interests, we can talk about anything or nothing, your so smart and so beautiful."  
  
Rory was blushing furiously. "Jess," she interrupted. "What is all this about? I think that's the most I've ever heard you talk before!" she smiled. "Not that I'm complaining, I mean, but I could easily say all of the same things about you, you know," she traced her index finger along his face like he had done.  
  
"Rory," he said a little louder than he wanted to, interrupting her. "What I'm trying so hard to say is..well, geesh, I never thought it was be this hard," Jess sighed.  
  
Rory wrinkled her forehead, confused. "Jess, you're not breaking up with me, are you?" she said with a little cry in her voice.  
  
"No! Oh God, no! I'm trying to tell you that I love you!" He shouted, then let out a huge sign of relief. **Thank God, I finally said it, it's out there** he thought to himself. He looked into her eyes as he said it, trying to read her reaction.  
  
"Oh, Jess, I love you too!" She gushed, hugging him tightly.  
  
"Really?" he asked, releasing himself from her so he could look at her. He broke into a real smile, mirroring hers.  
  
"Yes, really! I've been thinking about that since this morning! And I didn't know if I should say it first, and Lane said I shouldn't tell you in case you didn't feel that way or you might be scared, but my Mom said that I should say it anyway because she regrets not saying it to Lu." she stopped short in her rant.  
  
"Luke?" Jess finished. Rory nodded.  
  
"Yeah," Rory answered. Jess laughed out loud. "What?"  
  
"Well, after you ran out of the diner this morning, Luke dragged me in the storeroom to lecture me on how to behave around you, basically flipping out when I told him I spent the night with you. I told him I would never hurt you because I love you too much, and he flipped out about THAT. Then he went all Dr. Phil on me and told me that I should tell you right away and not wait for a special moment, because if you wait, you may never get that moment. And he admitted that he was talking about Lorelai!" Jess and Rory both laughed, shaking their heads.  
  
"How on earth are we going to get those two together?" Rory asked, running her hands through his hair.  
  
"Don't know," Jess answered, again slipping his hands around her waist as he started kissing her neck. Rory leaned her head back, enjoying it. "Did your mom say she'd be gone for an hour?" he whispered between kisses.  
  
"Yeah, what do you have in mind?" Rory said seductively.  
  
"I think you know." Jess answered.  
**THE END** 


End file.
